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3 Ways to Know that Your Manuscript Sings and is Ready to Submit

Going to the New York SCBWI conference (Picture taken by Debbie Ridpath Ohi) made me want to sing. The atmosphere crackled with creativity, and I came home overflowing with inspiration and blissful melodies. Connecting with my tribe motivated me to get my manuscripts ready to submit. The conference reminded me of these 3 ways to make my story sing!

1. Read (or sing!) your manuscript out loud.

If you write picture books, this will be easy. Emma Walton Hamilton says you should read your picture book

aloud 10 times! Even if you write middle grade or YA, Jordan Brown insists that your manuscript is not ready unless you have read your entire manuscript out loud. Reading our stories aloud helps us notice problems with plot, pacing, tension, and grammar. If we read our stories aloud to our target audience, we can also learn when the manuscript works (or doesn't) by paying attention to our audience. 2. Confirm that your story shows the most important event (or melody!) in your main character's life.Read more at Children's Book Academy.